H T R C

H OW T O R ECOVER THE C UTTING
E DGE
2 K INGS 6
Text: 2 Kings 6:5
2 Kings 6:5
5
But as one was felling a beam, the axe head fell into the water:
and he cried, and said, Alas, master! for it was borrowed.
Introduction:
The school of the prophets had grown to the point that
they needed to provide new facilities. As they are in
the process of cutting down trees to build their new
home, one of the prophets loses his axe head in the
Jordan River.
He becomes distraught because the axe head was
borrowed. He cries out to Elisha and the great prophet
performs a miracle and the axe head floats to the
surface and the man puts out his hand and picks it up.
Now, lest we be too harsh on this poor man who lost
the axe head, let us remember that he is engaged in a
great work. He is busy! Yet, if there is a flaw in his
activity, it is found in this: he was working, but he was
not watching! As a consequence, he lost the axe head
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and was unable to continue his work. He had lost the
cutting edge.
We may look at this story and wonder if there is
anything here for the modern church. I believe there is
plenty here for us to learn.
You see, the axe head represents the power to get the
job done! No man can chop down tress by flailing at
them with an axe handle! It takes the sharp, cutting
power of the axe head to cut through the wood and fell
the tree.
In the church, we need to realize that without our
cutting edge, that is the power of the Holy Spirit, we
will never be able to serve the Lord properly, nor will
we be able to make a dent in this world. We need God
and His power to get the job done for His glory!
Sadly, the modern church has become so tied to its
traditions and its programs that, for the most part, the
cutting edge has been lost. As a result, there is no
power in the church, in the lives of the saints, or in
anything we do. We have lost the cutting edge!
Most of what we do in the church can be done without
the agency or the power of the Holy Spirit! We are so
good at what we do that we can operate in the power
of the flesh and no one notices the absence of God!
However, while we may be able to operate our
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churches, our programs and our lives apart from the
power of God, we will never make inroads into the
world apart from the power of God. We will never be
able to serve the Lord in an effective manner until we
perform that service in His power alone!
As we take a few minutes to look at how this situation
was handled that day, we can learn some valuable
lessons about how the church should handle the
situation in which she finds herself today. God help us
to recover the cutting edge. This passage tells us how!
Notice the steps involved in recovering the cutting
edge.
1. IT INVOLVES CONCERN
A. As soon as this man feels the axe head fly off,
he cries out in despair. He knows that he cannot
continue what he is doing until he recovers the
axe head.
B. The first step in recovering the power of the
Spirit is coming to the place where we know we
do not have it.
I am convinced that many people walk through
this life thinking they are filled with the Spirit,
when they have lost His power and do not even
know it.
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They are trying to live for God and to do His work in
power of the flesh and do not even realize that He is
nowhere around.
This condition of many modern churches, and modern
church people, rivals that of ancient Laodicea, Rev.
3:14-20.
C. I wonder whether we care enough to search
our hearts, our lives and the life of our church
and discover whether or not what we are doing
is of man or of the Spirit.
Are we concerned about the presence and
power of God being in the midst of His church?
We are always congratulating ourselves on the
fact that “where two or three are gathered
together, He is in the midst.”
The Spirit of the Lord is in us. When we show up
at church, He shows up at church! I am not
talking about His mere presence. I am talking
about His manifest presence. Where God not
only shows up, but when He also shows out!
D. May the Lord help us to settle for nothing less
than the best God can give us!
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2. IT INVOLVES CONFESSION
A. When this man realized the axe head was
gone, he immediately told Elisha what had
happened.
He confessed the fact that he had lost the cutting
edge. By admitting that the axe head was gone,
he was also admitting to the fact that it had
become loose and he had not bothered to
tighten it.
B. After we discover that we are lacking
something, we must come to the place where we
can admit that lack to the Lord. This is a hard pill
to swallow, but it is necessary to recovering the
cutting edge.
I think one of the hardest things for any of us to
do is to admit lack. We want everyone to think
that we are on the top of the heap; that we need
nothing; and that we are in control.
Where are the honest hearts that will cry out
and say, “I just don’t have the fire I used to have!
I am not as close to the Lord as I used to be! I
need the power of God operating through me to
get the job done!”
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What we need are honest hearts that will tell the
truth about our condition. We just need to come
clean and tell the Lord the truth about where we
are! He already knows, but He wants us to know
as well. We need to relearn the path to the altar.
We need His and His power in our midst, but
there is a price to pay. Part of that price is
confessing our lack of power.
C. Before we will ever recover the cutting edge
as individuals and as a church, we must first
come to the place where we can honestly admit
that we can’t do it, but God can!
We must find that place of total and absolute
dependence upon God and His power! When we
do, we will see souls saved. We will see the
manifest power of God.
3. IT INVOLVES COMPREHENSION
A. One of the reasons this man is so upset is
because the axe head didn’t even belong to him.
He had borrowed it from someone in order to be
able to help build the building. Now, losing an
axe head may not seem that big of a deal to you
and me.
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We can ride to the store and buy them by the
dozen if we wish. However, in that day tools and
other things made of iron we very scarce and in
short supply.
This is illustrated by a story from 1 Sam. 13:22.
Plus the fact that it was a borrowed tool would
require this man to replace the axe head, which
he obviously could not do since he had to
borrow it in the first place.
The fact that a person would lend this man a tool
of such value was a sign that the owner of the
axe head trusted the young prophet. He did not
want to violate that trust!
B. I think the lesson for the church is crystal
clear. When we are working for the Lord, as we
should, we are operating with borrowed power!
The power to serve the Lord does not come from
within our own human nature, but it comes from
the Lord above, Acts 1:8.
Therefore, we need to be especially careful with
the power entrusted to us. May we never take it
for granted!
May we never come to the place where we act
as though nothing can take our power away.
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God help us to never violate His trust! Just as
surely as the Lord gives His power, He can take it
back.
C. If we are going to serve the Lord and see
eternal results from our service, we must accept
the fact that we are unable to do the work within
ourselves.
We need power from above. We need borrowed
power!
Yet, let us also understand that the same God
Who so freely saves the sinner, will also freely
give His power to those who seek it and are
qualified to receive it.
4. IT INVOLVES COMING BACK
A. As soon as Elisha heard about the problem, he
called the prophet back to the place where the
axe head was lost.
Before it could be recovered, they had to go to
the place where it had been lost.
B. It is in the same in the spiritual arena as well.
Before we can recover the power of God in our
lives and in our church, we must return to that
place where we lost the power. That is, we must
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uncover the reason why the power has been
forfeited.
Is it because of some sin that has been
committed?
Is it because our priorities have become
misplaced?
Is it because we are guilty of trusting the arm of
the flesh instead of the power of the Spirit?
Where did we lose the power?
C. If we were honest this evening, we could all
pinpoint areas of our lives that stand between us
and our having the glorious power of God on our
lives.
What we need to do is to backtrack and discover
where we wandered off course. We need to go
back to that point and make a course correction.
When we do, we can prepare for the glory to be
returned.
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5. IT INVOLVES CONFRONTATION
A. Elisha’s response to the situation is to cut
down a tree and cast it into the river. When he
does, the axe head floats to the surface.
A miracle occurs when human means are
abandoned and divine help is sought.
B. When we come to the place where we
acknowledge the loss of the cutting edge, there
is only one way to get it back. There must be a
confrontation with the divine!
First, there must be a tree involved. The tree I
am referring to is the cross of Jesus. When we
get serious about dealing with our sins and
shortcomings, the Lord will respond with
forgiveness and restoration, 1 John 1:9.
Then, there must be a total abandonment of all
human agency and power. Trusting a stick to
make and axe head float sounds crazy, but it
worked!
For us to stop trying to do the work of the Lord,
to just step back, place it all in His hands and
trust Him completely is difficult. However, it is
the only solution.
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C. One of the primary steps in recovering the
cutting edge of power in the church is a return to
God’s altar.
When the church deals with her sins, and the
way between us and the Lord is cleared of all
obstructions, we can count on the return of His
power and glory in the house of God.
6. IT INVOLVES COMMITMENT
A. The last thing this young man did was to reach
down and take the axe head in his hand. He
committed to receiving by faith that which the
Lord had done.
This may be the end of the story as far as the
biblical record is concerned, but we can be sure
of what happened next.
This young man firmly reattached the axe head
to the handle and went back to work chopping
down trees. He had recovered the cutting edge
and was able to do what needed to be done.
B. God has power available for those who will
pay the price for it and who will reach out and
take it by faith.
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When we come to the place where we are tired
of the same old same old and are willing to
admit our loss of the cutting edge, God will give
us back the power to do His work His way.
However, it is not for the faint-hearted! It is for
the faith-hearted, alone!
C. How committed are we to the idea of
experiencing God’s manifest presence and
power in the church?
Our level of commitment will be revealed by
what we are willing to do to see it become a
reality!
Close:
Where is the cutting edge this evening? For most of us,
it is at the bottom of the river, totally beyond our reach
and beyond our ability to recover. Can we get it back?
Yes! If we will take the steps we have been given this
evening. Are you willing? That is the first step. The
second is in getting before the Lord and dealing with
the problem His way!
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